Kaplan FL Scores

[FutureGeorgiaDoc]

Hello,
I am one month out from my MCAT exam date.

Kaplan Half Diagnostic: 485 122/122/121/120 (Before any studying)

The following full lengths were completed after one month of content review. Approx 3 days apart from each other:

Kaplan FL 1: 492 122/124/124/122
Kaplan FL 2: 497 123/123/126/125
Kaplan FL 3: 495 123/124/123/125
Kaplan FL 4: 495 125/123/124/123 (Bad testing day. After 1st section everything went downhill)

I have seen improvement in the first two FL but not after that. Is it reasonable to take an AAMC FL scored at this point to see where I stand? Also, I am curious to how the Kaplan FL match up to the real exam because there is no way everyone is scoring 10-15 points higher than their Kaplan scores. As for test review tips, any input would be appreciated. My target score is around a 508.

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[Doctor or bust]

Interested to see what other people say. I'll be finishing up content review next week and was planning on taking an AAMC scored afterwards to see how the score changes after I take more practice exams and practice passages. Kaplan is notorious for score deflation as you mentioned though, to what extent is a good question though.

 

[DameJulie]

Kaplan FLs are deflated in terms of score. Have you done a "% correct" calculation to see where you stand?

I don't see many people scoring 505+ on Kaplan's FLs. Based on what I see on the spreadsheets, a 502/503 would put you in a good shape for AAMC.

 

[DoctorCakes]

Grade-deflation aside, those are some pretty skimpy scores. You are a month out, have you done the section bank? if not I'd try those out asap before the scored.

 

[aldol16]

Kaplan FL vs. MCAT 2015

 

[jenzhang636]

I think you should take an AAMC FL to see where you stand since you wouldn't want to bank on the Kaplan grade deflation and actually have a lower score than you think. I think that'll help determine if you are close enough to your target score or if you should push it back.

For reference: When I took the Kaplan FL, I got around a 505 after having only done content review. I then focused on intensive question practice before taking my only AAMC FL (1 week out from actual MCAT) and got a 512. On the actual MCAT, I got a 514 (128/131/127/128). While the Kaplan tests were definitely harder than the AAMC test (I actually thought the actual MCAT was as hard as the Kaplan tests), I think the improvement was mainly due to having focused on practicing questions.

 

[Doctor or bust]

Kaplan FL vs. MCAT 2015

I'd like to think that this would be accurate as it would be putting me a comfortable position, however, there are 0 data points from anyone who scored below a 500 on the MCAT and the scores are centered in the areas above the 80th percentile on the real exam which makes me question the accuracy

 

[aldol16]

I'd like to think that this would be accurate as it would be putting me a comfortable position, however, there are 0 data points from anyone who scored below a 500 on the MCAT and the scores are centered in the areas above the 80th percentile on the real exam which makes me question the accuracy

There's no accurate data or inaccurate data. There's just data. That's the reason I did not put any lines of best fit onto there - to prevent people from drawing conclusions based on the limited data available. When I created that over a year ago, there were only about 40 SDN users who had taken Kaplan FLs and new MCAT and who posted about their relative scores on the spreadsheet. There may be more data points now. SDN users (and especially the high-achieving ones) tend to be skewed towards the upper end of the distribution so it's no surprise to me that the scores are higher. There are many explanations for the data - only one of which is that Kaplan's FLs are deflated.

 

[FutureGeorgiaDoc]

Grade-deflation aside, those are some pretty skimpy scores. You are a month out, have you done the section bank? If not I'd try those out asap before the scored.

I have done the Chemistry section bank and scored 79%. Biology section bank 88%. Still working on physics and Biochem/Soc/Psych combined banks. I find this content easier than Kaplan so far.

 

[DoctorCakes]

I have done the Chemistry section bank and scored 79%. Biology section bank 88%. Still working on physics and Biochem/Soc/Psych combined banks. I find this content easier than Kaplan so far.

Yes the question banks were not that bad and good for reviewing content. But the section banks are a whole different beast. They are the biochem/soc/psych ones. They are most like the actual exam.

 

[EAPoetic]

I then focused on intensive question practice before taking my only AAMC FL (1 week out from actual MCAT) and got a 512.

What resources did you use for your "intensive question practice" and how did you structure it?

 

[MDtb02]

I personally had my FL's spread out approximately a week from each other. Every 3 days is a lot in my opinion. The testing process alone is draining and could be impacting your other scores having them so close together (burn out). I would just make sure you are getting the most from each test. Maybe take a week or 2 of reviewing the tests you've already done, make a few flashcards of trends that you're missing..and drill them. Looking at wrong answers is great too. Even if you get the question right. You could end up seeing something similar on the real deal and avoid a mistake you could make out of nervousness. I would hold off on taking your AAMC FL until closer to the exam. That test can help give you confidence going into test day if you get a good score and you don't want to take it just to take it.

 

[Coltuna]

I have done the Chemistry section bank and scored 79%. Biology section bank 88%. Still working on physics and Biochem/Soc/Psych combined banks. I find this content easier than Kaplan so far.

You're golden. These are excellent scores for the section banks.

 

[deleted600623]

You're golden. These are excellent scores for the section banks.

Pretty sure they were referring to the question banks since there's no just chemistry or just biology section banks.


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